Free Beatmaker Apps

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Blanchefle Strycker

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Aug 5, 2024, 6:16:17 AM8/5/24

to thermemame

Hellohow are you. I want to know what you think about which is the current header sampler. I usually use two, koala and beatmaker 3. koala has the dream workflow for anyone, and the samurai mode is good. However, I find beatmaker 3 more reliable when it comes to production, precisely manipulating the sounds per specific pad, the mixing capabilities, the performance view, even its time stretch still seems to me of better quality than the koala stretching quality. koala allows you to capture quick ideas, yes, but if you want to record an album or have well modeled pads for live performance, beatmaker seems superior to me. I wanted to know what you thought about this and if I am missing any more options.

Choice is easy. Used to really like BM3, but recently within minutes of using it, I get some monstrous bug where it looks like BM3 is morphing into a notepad or procreate or something. Crickets from Vincent or whoever is doing support these days.

it is true that they are different. but I did not compare a sampler with a sequencer, or with a synthe, or bananas with tomatoes. It is about two samplers, and I wanted to know if you used them together (and in that case, what is your workflow), or if you decided to stay with koala for its practicality (and in that case, how you make a deep production with koala and aum or other applications). It is true that beatmaker is deeper, but in koala you can do things in a minute that in beatmaker take more time, at least in terms of cutting samples, and this is something that ends up favoring creativity. Anyway, I just wanted to know, if you had to choose one that combines live performance and production well, which one will you choose? They are both incredible, I know, I just wondered which one they would stay with if you have to choose one, out of curiosity.

For me the decision would come down to whether I needed to use the KB/vel mapping, modulation pages, mixer and AUv3 hosting of BM3 for the instruments I was building. My current setup (based on quickly resampling excerpts from running tempo synched sequencers on semi modular equipment) is better suited to Koala, and I've performed a whoooolllee lot of concerts with BeatMaker3 as a host.

BM3 couldn't do the Job Koala is doing and Koala couldn't have done the job BM3 has been doing. Can't really see much similarity apart from the visual presentation of a 16 pad grid, and I can certainly imagine using both together with BM3 as a host.

The decision wouldn't be between BM3 or Koala. Assuming I needed Koala, then it'd be between BM3 or AB3 as a host for that (I usually use AB3 until I need a BM3 specific feature, then move my session to BM3).

A recent survey of 100 koalas that were registered to vote in their district found that 95% preferred BM3 as their go to sampler. Conversely, a survey of beat making 3 year olds overwhelmingly showed they favored koalas, even over their binky. Go figure.

@Minimal said:

Thanks for the feedback. I am a guitarist and in quarantine I found myself alone, unable to play with others, so I started building bases with applications on my ipad (I came from Ableton). but it all ended up sounding a bit artificial for the music I make (blues, lo fi, trip-hop and modern soul style, like fkj sound). Two months ago I met the world of sampling, and I saw in audio sampling (using tube au) a way out of that artificiality. It's hard for me to finish taking koala seriously when it comes to exploiting the quality of the samples, editing specific pads separately, and mixing in order to record an album or make quality scenes. use it for the essentials of trimming samples and setting up scenes, then exporting to bm3 and giving everything the final touch of more professional production I think is the best option.

Factor in piano roll and the insane timestretch options& Koala does everything I need it to. I don't need to sequence external devices - it was never something I cared to do with MPCs either - so I don't really need anything more. If I want to use a sound in Koala I'll sample it (and resample it... and resample that...).

No way I'd go on stage with BM3. I just don't trust it enough. I know @OscarSouth has had great success with it live, but even the thought of doing that myself makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up. I guess if you practice, practice, practice with it so that you know what makes it crash and build that confidence that you won't accidentally do those things it could work. But still ...

I would go on stage with Koala. My phone would be standing by as a backup even still. I have fun with Koala on the couch and while waiting forever for my wife to finish shopping. I'm much more fond of Koala than BM3.

But I doubt I'd build up any keeper songs with Koala. If you're into a sampling workflow for producing songs then it sure seems like BM3 is the king to me. I dabble in samples only, so other DAWs draw my attention more. I should go back to BM3 for a few projects and see if I feel different now.

@wim : fwiw, using BM3 as a sampler, I've found it to be a reliable realtime instrument. I don't think

I've ever had a crash with it using that way. My only crashes have been using it as a DAW and even then only when using certain AUv3.

@wim said:

Koala is the SP404's spiritual successor in app form. BM3 is the avatar: the being promised to bring balance to a world of MPC's and Maschine. But just when the Lives and Pluses started to take over and we needed it most, BM3 vanished.

@Millions said:

Now that Koala has time stretch, auto chop and piano roll it's on another level. The UI design fits an impressive number of functions into a small workspace, not to mention it's practical, functional and incredibly easy to work in, with quick results.

And it's also exactly why i've never bought the app.

It's almost too fun. It does everything it needs to and some things not at all. I've watched a million videos and come to the conclusion that it would only be a waste of time in the end. I can do all the same things in Beatmaker 3 and also bring everything to a stage of completion ..with the added advantage of a timeline, a mixer with Aux sends, endless audio and midi tracks, more in-app fx (like a 6-band EQ) plus AUv3 support, automation, 128 pads with tons of control (ADSR on every pad), the ability to make your own instruments with LFOs, velocity layers etc, plus a File Browser w/ZIP and unZIP, stem export, macros, and arguable the best wave editor on iOS.

But it's really hard to resist apps like Koala, or something like Flux, because the results are so immediate ..but they are too limited to produce finished tracks. That said, I'm extremely glad they exist cuz it's apps like this that bring new people into the iOS environment. Plus, Koala offers something somewhat novel with it's visual waveforms on every pad and window, which could potentially help someone unfamiliar with it -- learn how time signatures and beats per measure work along with the correlating audio.

Hi there,

Apologies for ridiculous question but Im new to all things iPad and apps! Ive ben a laptop music maker for years and transferring over to iPad now and to Beatmaker for my writing as love the feel of it. However only getting used to downloading VST instruments / loops via apps so.... I see there are numerous synths out there but read a lot on here about people saying about making sure theyre AU supported. How do I know if a synth is AU supported as I don't want to spend money and then not be able to use it with Beatmaker. Am looking for one that will have all the usuals but also really etheral ambient piano stuff too.